Medication Disposal

Each year, approximately 35,000 children visit emergency departments due to unintentional overdoses. Unused or expired medications can pose serious health risks to children, young adults, and family members. Safe medication disposal helps prevent accidental exposure, overdose, and environmental harm.

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You can dispose of unused or expired medication at any of the MedReturn Drug Collection kiosks in the city. These collection kiosks are open to all residents. They provide a safe, confidential, and free way to dispose of medications.

Kiosks are located at Boston Police Department District Stations, hospitals, and pharmacies. Find more information and collection kiosk locations below.

Questions? Contact us:
311@BOSTON.GOV
617-534-5395
1010 MASSACHUSETTS AVE.

2ND FLOOR

BOSTON, MA 02118

Before you dispose of medication

Before Disposal

Remove any ID information

Scratch out all identifying information on the prescription label to make it unreadable. This will help protect your identity and the privacy of your personal health information.

Follow instructions on label

If the drug label or patient information on the medication has specific instructions for disposal, please follow those. Don’t flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information tells you to.

Don’t give away your medications

Don’t give medications to friends. Doctors prescribe drugs based on your specific symptoms and medical history. A drug that works for you could be very dangerous for someone else.

Kiosk locations

Find a list of kiosks located at Boston Police Department District Stations below. You can also find a take-back kiosk near you here.

These locations are updated as of October 2026.

Police station	Address	HOURS	Phone number
A1 Downtown	40 New Sudbury St., Boston, MA 02114	24 hours	617-343-4240
A7 East Boston	69 Paris St., East Boston, MA 02128	24 hours	617-343-4220
A15 Charlestown	20 Vine St., Charlestown, MA 02129	8 a.m. - 11 p.m.	617-343-4888
B2 Roxbury	2400 Washington St., Roxbury, MA 02119	24 hours	617-343-4270
B3 Mattapan	1165 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester, MA 02124	24 hours	617-343-4700
C6 South Boston	101 West Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127	24 hours	617-343-4730
C11 Dorchester	40 Gibson St., Dorchester, MA 02122	24 hours	617-343-4330
D4 Back Bay	650 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02116	24 hours	617-343-4250
D14 Brighton	301 Washington St., Brighton, MA 02135	24 hours	617-343-4260
E5 West Roxbury	1708 Centre St., West Roxbury, MA 02132 There is one kiosk in the main lobby and one at the entrance.	24 hours	617-343-4560
E13 Jamaica Plain	3345 Washington St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130	24 hours	617-343-5630
E18 Hyde Park	1249 Hyde Park Ave., Hyde Park, MA 02136	24 hours	617-343-5600

What we collect

At our kiosks, we collect:

Prescription medications
Over-the-counter medications
Pet medications
Sample medications
Pills, capsules, inhalers, ointment, and patches
Vitamins
Liquids in glass or leak-proof containers

We don’t collect:

Needles, sharps, or syringes. Learn more about how to dispose of needles and syringes.
Thermometers
Bloody or infectious waste
Aerosol cans

What else can you do?

Safeguard your medicine

Keep prescription medicine in a secure place.
Count and monitor the number of pills you have.
Lock up your medicine.

Learn more

Educate yourself and others

Share information with family, friends, and neighbors.
Talk to youth about the risks of underage drinking and abusing prescription drugs.

Learn more

Get Help

Fatal overdose is preventable and there are many paths to recovery.
Nasal naloxone can quickly reverse an opioid overdose.
Take our overdose rescue training and learn where to find naloxone near you below.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-855-494-4057 or click here for information on getting connected to substance use and treatment care.